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Care After Cesarean Delivery

It’s always preferable to deliver a baby the safe way. Every woman prays for this. However, problems may come up that will require Cesarean Delivery system which is popularly known as Cesarean Section or CS.  If you happen to be involved in a CS delivery operation, you don’t need to panic. It can be very smooth and successful especially when performed by an expert Surgeon in the field. All you need is to take proper precautions after the delivery.  Listed and discussed below are some of the precautions you need to take after such a delivery.

Endure the Discomfort
First of all, you must know that CS is bound to come with discomfort. You need to expect this. However, you can always bear every kind of discomfort if you’re aware of its coming.  All you need is to be courageous. The discomfort is sure to fizzle away after some couple of weeks.

Follow Medical Prescriptions
Care after Cesarean delivery could be very successful when you follow medical prescriptions and instructions. There are various painkiller medicines the doctor will recommend to you. Make sure you take them accordingly. There are also other necessary instructions you may be given. Make sure you follow them appropriately. If you notice any abnormality while you’re recovering, rush to your doctor for medical attention.

Allow Time to Heal all Wounds
CS is an unusual surgery that comes with wounds. You need to be very patient to allow the wounds to heal with time. You don’t need to engage in activities that will cause you more discomfort. Don’t claim to be a superwoman who can still go back to usual home work. You need to take time to rest from normal house chores in order to allow time to heal the wounds.

Engage in decent Self-Care
You need to care for your body very well after the CS operation.  Your pubic region must be adequately taken care of despite the pains. You need to massage the area with warm water on daily basis.  You need to eat proper food items that may be prescribed by your doctor. You still need to take things easy until the wounds begin to fizzle out.

Call for Help if you need one
There’s nothing wrong in calling for help after CS surgery.  In certain cultures, your own mother must be there to massage and help you. If your mother is no more, your sister ought to come.  Well, the issue here is that you need to call for a help whether your culture allows babysitting or not. Don’t die in silence when you have a mother, sisters or friends who can come around to help.

In all, you must be very courageous all through the period of your recovery from CS. Do well to rush to your doctor if you notice strange growths or illnesses. After that, do everything possible to be having normal safe delivery the next time you take in. Normal safe delivery is far better than Cesarean Section.

Tips on Preparing Baby Formula Milk

For a newborn baby, mother’s milk is the best and you cannot compare it with any formula or other feed. It is advisable to mother that breastfeeding is the best for baby and mother too. Every mother wishes to breastfeed her baby as long as possible for her, but in some situation if she cannot feed her baby she needs bottle feed or formula feed to her baby. You need to provide some formula feed with breast feeding when you think that breast feeding is not sufficient for your baby or you are working woman or for any other reason. You can take advice of your pediatrician about formula feed for your baby. You can get milk powder and other formula feed available in market. You need to read instruction on that. Some formula feeds are advisable to give after six months only.

Extra Care is Essential for Formula Feed Baby
  • Cow’s milk is easily digestible and considered the best for grown up baby. You need to select milk powder, which is made up from cow’s milk. Check ingredients, types and protein proportions, fat and sugar. You need to take advice of your baby’s doctor before start new formula feed or milk powder.
  • When you start any new formula feeding to your baby, check that it is easily digestible to your baby. If your baby found any indigestion problem, check proportion. If it persists for more days, consult your doctor.
  • Use popular brand formula powder for your baby.
  • Many women give home made formula milk to their baby like adding some water and sugar in the milk and then boil it and thus feed is ready for baby. This is not advisable for infants less than six months because milk is very hard to digest for small baby and sugar is also not advisable for infant. Use of skimmed milk powders is also not good for baby as it contains less nutrition. You need to check ingredients and calories your baby gain from milk powder. You can take guidance from experienced people regarding popular branded formula milk powder available in the market at your nearby place. Your baby’s doctor can also guide you to provide brand name of formula powder by considering age of infant.
  • You also need to ask that how many times you need to give formula milk to your baby. If you breastfeed to baby, you need to provide formula feed for less number of times. If you are not breast feeding your baby, you need to read instructions of milk powder container. They provide instructions that how many times you need to give formula feed with specifying age of baby. You should follow the instructions and use same scoop provided in container. You should also understand your baby’s capacity that how frequently baby needs formula milk. As a mother, you can understand within two to three days regarding need of your baby for bottle feed.
How to Prepare Formula Milk
  • First boiled water in clean container. Make it little warm that powder can easily dilute in water. Add scoop of formula powder in the boil water. Remember to maintain proportion of water and formula milk powder. It is essential because it gives taste to your baby and in addition your baby will get sufficient energy from it. Otherwise, if water ratio is high, your baby will not get any taste or nutrition while if water is less, it becomes thick and get difficult for your baby to suck as it will not come out easily from nipple or sipper.
  • Shake well before giving it to your baby.
  • Check that powder is diluted completely for easy feeding to baby. You can check in your hand that formula milk can come out from nipple easily. Thus, you can also check that water is not very hot. Make it warm if you felt it hot.
  • Every time keep same proportion of water and formula powder. If your baby found different taste each time she may refuse to drink it sometimes.
  • If you are planning for travel with your infant, you should keep formula powder together. You can take separate boiled water in flask to keep water hot during journey. Never used prepared formula milk for a long time in journey. It is even not recommended for more than two to three hours. Therefore, try to arrange fill boil water in your flask whenever it becomes available while traveling. Try to use mineral water for your baby to avoid any bacterial infection from water as it affects digestive system.
Always Remember
  • If you use bottle for feeding your baby, you should care to make it clean perfectly. You should keep good stock of bottle and nipples.
  • Boil bottle in water once in a day. Open top of the bottle and remove nipple and put everything in boil water to make it insects free.
  • Do not reuse bottle without wash.
  • Keep bottle brush to clean bottle easily.
  • Always closed milk powder container properly after use. Do not keep it open. Store it in a place as per instruction written on milk powder container.
  • Always check manufacturing date and expiry date of formula powder on container before purchasing.
  • Do not use prepared formula milk after 2-3 hours. If you keep it in refrigeration then also you need to follow instruction as written on the tin. It is advisable to use fresh preparation and avoid prepared formula milk for a long time. Many manufacturers clearly specify on the tin of formula powder to not used prepared formula milk even after one or two hours.
Infant’s digestive system is not developed properly. Therefore, you need to take extra care on her/his feeding if you give formula feeding. In case of breast feeding, you are providing the best to your baby. Always try to give formula feed as supplement as nothing is as nutritious as mother’s milk.

Top Ten Steps to Take Before Conceiving

Pregnancy is a stage wherein the mother needs to be very strong physically as well as emotionally.

To have a healthy pregnancy period and healthy baby, you need to take extra care of yourself. If you want to have a healthy pregnancy than you need to understand the first few basic steps required right from the time of your decision to conceive.

Planning is the key to an efficient pregnancy period. Follow these simple and basic steps, to make your pregnancy period and your baby healthy...

Choose the best doctor
A good doctor is essential for a good pregnancy and healthy baby. A good doctor means - one who has been recommended by your close ones, who is friendly, with whom you can build a relationship and whose clinic is somewhere near to your residence.

Watch what you eat
Keep a very close eye on what you eat, because now you are not eating only for yourself, but also for the baby. Hence, ask your doctor to recommend a good healthy diet plan for you, so that the growing baby gets all the required nutrients. To avoid harm for your baby avoid uncooked food, cold meats, raw food and unhealthy foods. Also pay attention while eating fish, as some fishes have a high level of mercury and other contamination in them.

Avoid alcohol and cigarettes
Both these substances can cause huge damage to the health of your baby. Hence, to have a safe and healthy pregnancy kicks both these harmful items away from your life.

Go for an overall health checkup
Go for an overall health checkup, so that you evaluate your health well in advance. This will help you to find out any obstacles which can affect your pregnancy. Go for x-rays before planning your pregnancy, so that the harmful rays won't harm the baby's health.

You need a healthy body weight
If you are too thin or overweight than this point applies to you. Check in with your doctor and achieve a moderate weight to have a safe pregnancy period and to avoid complications.

Check if you have received all vaccinations
Before conceiving, check if you have received all vaccinations. As occurrence of vaccine-preventive diseases like chickenpox during pregnancy can have severe birth defects. If you haven't received immunization than immunize yourself, before conceiving.

Eat well
The most important thing for a healthy pregnancy is eating a healthy well balanced diet. Include protein rich food in your diet. Never skip breakfast, keep yourself very well hydrated, and include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Take prenatal vitamins
Include folic acid and iron in your diet, before conception and during early pregnancy. Consuming adequate folic acid helps to prevent development of neural tube birth defects. Start taking in at least 400 micrograms of folic acid before you become pregnant. Never increase the dosage of folic acid as it can lead to complications.

Make sure health problems are under control
If you have any health problems, than make sure that they are under control or else they can lead to complications. Hence keep a check on your obesity, asthma, diabetes, cholesterol before conceiving.

Think before you pop a pill
Consume only the pills that your doctor has prescribed, avoid popping pills unnecessarily as it can harm you and your baby's health.

How to Plan Christening Parties

The christening of a child is a very special occasion. This is the first step that the baby takes in the world of Christianity and as such, it deserves to be marked and celebrated.

A christening party or a reception, as it is often called, will bring friends, relatives, the parents and the godparents of the child together. Planning a christening reception is not a simple task. The party needs to have special atmosphere and to correspond to the importance of the event.

You can make use of several great ideas when planning a christening party. These simple tips will help you put together the most amazing baby christening event ever.

Keep It Casual and Intimate
A christening party does not have to be flashy. The simpler it is, the better. Christening parties are usually very casual and relaxed, giving a group of people the chance to socialize and to celebrate a very special occasion.

The decorations can be exceptionally plain and minimalist, after all a christening is something far from luxury and vanity. Christening parties usually go without a theme but you can also dedicate it to anything baby-related. Crosses or a biblical theme will be appropriate.

Focus on the menu rather than on decorations. Ornate arches, table centerpieces and expensive tablecloths are unnecessary.

Think of Games
The games selected for a christening reception differ from the activities typical for a baby shower or a birthday party.

Board games will be best for this occasion. Such games give family members a chance to talk to each other while having fun and discussing issues of interest. Card games will also be quite appropriate.

If the reception is held outdoors, you can include sports. Volleyball, basketball, tennis and other sports that will give everyone the chance to participate will be a good selection.

Getting Guests Involved

The party will be extra special if you manage to get the guests involved in some way. Their input will be valuable to the family that is having a child christened.

The simplest option you can make use of is a guestbook. Have it available at the entrance, giving everyone the chance to write down a greeting or a special message. This guestbook will be a delightful souvenir from the christening reception.

Having video messages is another opportunity that you can utilize. You will need a small camera. Ask everyone to dedicate a personal message to the baby or the entire family. This option will give you the chance to create a very touching movie.

Decoration Ideas
Once again, the keyword that should guide all of your organizational activities is "simplicity."

White is a color that is typically connected to Christianity, purity and innocence. Make it focal to the reception's interior.

The items you can use include white balloons and white flowers. Refrain from overdoing it. Several centerpieces and delicate wall decorations will do just fine. In case the reception is held in the evening, you can make use of white candles.

Hold the Reception Immediately After the Christening
It will be easiest and most appropriate to hold the reception immediately after the baptism. Guests will be in a festive mood and you can extend the celebration.

Many churches have special halls that can be rented for special occasions. This makes it very convenient for you to hold the reception immediately after the baptism. Guests will be freed from the obligation to travel to another venue right after going to the church.

These are the basics of planning a christening party. It can be very simple, yet effective. Focus your efforts on creating intimate atmosphere. All other aspects of the reception hold secondary importance.

Credit : Jammie

Home Remedies for Sprains

Sprains and injuries are a normal part of our daily life. Try as we might, we cannot avoid them. However, care must be taken as some of these can become quite complicated if neglected. Infections could occur and the wounds can become septic. Hence, immediate treatment is needed.

Parents especially must pay attention to the bodies of their children since children are always fearful of reporting injuries to their parents. It is also children who get the most injuries, since they lead an active playful life. A sprain can be described as an injury in which the tissues around the injured joint get torn. These tissues, better known as ligaments, are extremely soft in nature. They connect two or more bones together to form a joint. During a sprain, one or more ligaments get worn out and tear apart. Wrists, ankles and knees are the areas most susceptible to sprains. Some of the common causes of sprain are sudden fall, a forceful blow to the body, twisting, stepping on an uneven surface, lifting heavy objects and over-stretching of the ligaments. Though it is not a fracture, sprain can be just as painful. Through the following lines, we will tell you how to treat a sprain with home remedies.

Causes of Sprain

The various causes of sprains are:
  • Sudden fall
  • A forceful blow to the body
  • Twisting
  • Stepping on an uneven surface
  • Lifting heavy objects
  • Over stretching of the ligaments
Home Remedy for Sprain
  • The most effective way to treat sprain would be to apply cold compress on the area and cover it with a bandage.
  • For a foot sprain, the best bet would be to put a tbsp of black coffee in the bandage and wrap the hurt foot with it.
  • A simple way to get relief from pain and cure sprain would be to soak the outer leaves of a cabbage in water. Now, wrap the sprained area with these leaves and let them remain there for about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • In a bowl of warm water, put a few drops of lavender oil. Soak the sprained area in this water.
  • A popular home remedy for sprain is to massage the area with a mixture of almond oil and garlic oil.
  • Chop onions and wrap them in a muslin cloth. Place the cloth on the affected area for sometime.
  • In a cup of sunflower oil, mix 1 tsp of camphor oil. Massage the affected area with this oil mixture. It would provide immense relief from the pain.
  • Another effective oil combination would comprise of a mixture of 2 tbsp sunflower oil and 1 tbsp turpentine oil. Store this mixture in a glass jar and massage the sprained area with it, on a daily basis.
  • An effective way to cure the pain experienced during sprain would be to have lots of pineapple.
  • A simple way to cure sprain would be to give the affected area a hot Epsom salt bath.
  • In case of immense pain, take a glass of warm milk and add some turmeric powder to it. Have this milk two times a day. It would provide instant relief.
  • In a tsp of honey, add 1 tsp of lime juice. Massage this mixture on the affected area to treat sprains.
  • Prepare a paste by blending together lime leaves and butter. Apply this paste over the sprained area and leave it there for sometime. This would help heal the sprain.
  • To get relief from the pain experienced during sprain, add five drops of thyme oil to your bathing water and have a hot tub bath.


How to Tackle Motherhood Issues

Motherhood brings a world of new experiences and responsibility on the new moms and the new moms naturally may feel stressed out to cope with her new status in family. In modern India, women no longer stay at home. With a busy career, the issue becomes particularly difficult for a new mom. A new mom can get especially inundated under pressure, if she is a working lady. Her life will seem to be full of a never-ending cycle of duties. She will need to plan her life according to the need of the baby. However, motherhood also brings many blessings to count on and she should not despair under the pressure of the new circumstances that she will surely find herself in.  Here are some issues that a new mom has to face and also some tips which can help a new mom to better deal with her issues.

New moms need a helping hand and advice from the elders
The initial period after the delivery can be stressful. Throughout the early weeks following the delivery, a new mom goes through many physical discomforts and mental tension. The new mothers sometimes are unable to withstand the stress. This makes them easily irritable and touchy. Nowadays ninety-nine percent of the babies are delivered through surgery and it takes long to heal the wounds of the stitches. These stitches need to heal well. A new mom not only has to care for her baby, but also for her own body. This may seem to be a big task if there is no help at hand. During this initial period it is most important if an elder of the family is present to lend a helping hand to the new mom. A new mom can get the help from her mother, grandmother or mother-in-law. They may help her in doing the various chores around the house and also caring for the new born baby. This will certainly relieve the pressure of the new mom giving her a space to breathe a little. This will also increase her confidence in dealing with the baby. If the helps from the elders is not available, a new mom should consider taking the help of an experienced nanny.

Coping with depression or mood swing
After the delivery, many new moms have to go through what is called post natal depression. The hormones in her body go through a flux to make her prepared for her new motherhood. The hormonal changes in her body may make her emotionally very susceptible. Some form of yoga or aerobic exercises may help her cope well with the situation, apart from the expert medical help that might be available if she needs it badly.

Learning to take care of the baby
A new mom has to learn everything regarding caring for her baby. She needs to learn how to feed, bath and clothe her baby. She need to learn how to change nappies for her baby. She needs to learn how to clean the feeding bottles and many other such issues. She will have to prepare to have many sleepless nights to feed her baby as often as the baby is hungry or to change the wet diaper. All this involves a lot of sacrifice on her part.

Taking care of a crying baby
Babies cry often and a crying baby can be very exhausting for a new mom, especially in the night time. However getting frustrated or losing the temper would not help. A new mom should be patient to address the issue when her baby cries. Babies normally cry to convey some need or some discomfort it may have. A new mom has to learn why her baby may be crying. Is it for hunger, thirst, a wet nappy or some other discomfort? She should keep the baby closer to her and gently stroke the baby to settle the baby when it cries. Then she should address the problem. Babies often cry due to colic or pain from the wind. A new mom needs to keep the medicines at hand after consulting her pediatrician.

Planning the time well for an working mom
Women have to be mom and spouse at home and she will have other responsibilities in her office as well. Things become particularly stressful when a new mom has to join her office after the long pregnancy break. She will obviously feel overwhelmed to manage such varying responsibilities at home and office. If she does not plan her time well, she will soon find herself exhausted. Apart from the time allotted to caring the newborn and office responsibilities, a new mom should take some time out for herself. It means having some time for exercise, caring for her body and a quiet time for being alone with a book, some prayer, pursuing a hobby, or just sitting in peace without doing anything. Reserving some time for her self is important. It is not selfish; she needs it to rejuvenate her body and mind so that she can give hundred percent back when she goes back to her responsibility in home and office.

Being organized will save time
Since a new mom has to share many responsibilities, she needs to divide the area of her responsibility and consider her priorities well before the beginning of a hectic day. A new mom should make a checklist of works she needs to do in a day. She should learn to do the first thing first and leave the secondary things for later. It will help to unburden her mind.

Problems for new moms that stay at home
There are new moms that stay at home for caring their baby or there are moms that are housewives. They often feel suffocated or frustrated staying continuously confined in the house. They may be exhausted by taking care of the baby for twenty four hours and doing the household chores as well. Being a new mother may seem especially hard work for them. New moms need to go out and talk to other parents. This will help them a lot. Their own problem will not seem that big when they will learn stories from the parents in their neighborhood going through the similar experiences as they are facing.

Diet Chart for Breastfeeding

A mother needs to have a specified nutritional intake as she is the one not only feeding herself but also her child. They need balanced vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and fluid intake to improve their energy levels.

There is actually no strict restriction on diet during breast feeding.  It is just following the diet during pregnancy. Fruits and vegetables intake has lower risks of certain cancers and obesity risks. A child usually eats a certain fruits or vegetables based on whether he or she likes the taste and so it is important to let the babies know about the tastes and feed them with quality nutritional fruits for a healthy start. A baby understands the flavor from a mother's diet because the amniotic fluid which carries the food and its taste is transmitted through mother’s milk. Thus a baby understands to like a certain taste when the mother consumes the food.

The following are few points to be taken care of :
  • High calorie diet is not the aim but high carbohydrate and nutritional diet is. a hungry mother need to add less sugar and lower fat content intake and should always prefer high carbohydrate foods which boost up the energy levels like starch foods such as cereals during breakfast, pasta, vegetables like potatoes , rice, bread which provide the energy one would require for the day. 
  • Vitamin D is vital for a mother during breast feeding. Iron supplements like meat and pulses should be added to the diet.
  • Intake of calcium and protein from the food products like those of milk products, cheese, yogurt, meat, egg, pulses, cereals, less fat white fish and oil fish are few options for a healthy and low fat  diet.
  • It is also important to add fiber to the meal. Cereal fiber can be found in those starchy food items as mentioned above. Few fruits and vegetables like peas, lentils, corn, coconut, beans, mango also has fiber content. 
  • Always have dry raisins, apples, almonds, water packed fruits, soups, beans. Whole grains like cereals, oatmeal, pasta, nuts should be available in the kitchen.
  • Boiled egg’s have high protein content.
  • A salad of vegetables eaten raw or cooked or dipped in little fruit salad or sprinkles of nuts will make a nutritional diet.
  • Intake of milk, fruit juices or water will avoid dehydration. Drinking fluids every time even after meals would increase the fluid, water content in the body and keep the mother healthy consequently she will have the energy to breast feed her baby.
  • Intake of vitamin C through water melon’s, strawberries, citrus fruits like  oranges, grapefruit are compulsory. Other sources of vitamin C include green peppers, small tomatoes and potatoes.
Weight loss diets are not actually prescribed by doctors for breast feeding mothers. Most of the food items can be eaten by nursing mothers though few of them under caution and restriction if she is under side effects. So, the only thing to do during breast feeding is not to worry about the weight. Eat as much fruits and vegetables to add to your baby’s weight and enjoy breast feeding stage of women’s life.

Going Back to Job after Delivery

Returning to work is very hard for a mother after pregnancy as there are many things to be taken care of before returning to work place. The last few months have surely been tough for you but breaking the pattern won’t be easy. You need proper planning to settle everything down before going back to work.

Plan the return
Planning is a big part of the entire procedure as there are a lot of things to take care of before you go back to work after pregnancy. The mental adjustments can be the biggest of all the challenges, staying at work, not being able to be with your child can be a painful experience to cope up with for the first few days.

The work environment will surely be flexible to you and your bosses will be sympathetic for first few days. You must utilize this time to settle back to work. You have to be sure that you return your mind in the office and start putting your best performances forward as soon as possible. Once you can do that, things will become easier for you.

Try to be in touch with your co-workers when you are on the leave. Call your boss at times and ask about how work is going. This will help you when you will return to the office after pregnancy. They will welcome you back easily and you will be able to fit in fast. You also have to learn how to divide your personal and work time to balance things properly. Don’t think about work when you are at home and try to think less about your child when you are at work.

If you can, try to work from home for first few days to start with. It will make the transition smoother.

Flexibility at work
There are many work places which offer you flexibility after you return to work and that flexible period of time can be used properly by you to get back into the working mood. From work load to time management, everything can be flexible for you. Here are few things that will help you:
  •  Part time working can be a great option for you to start working again
  • If possible, start working from home. That will allow you to work on your own time
  • Flexible work timing is really a great option. You can choose when you want to come to office and how many hours you want to work if your office allows so
  • The break time can be set according to your needs too. The start and end time can be managed accordingly
  • Sometimes, you can share your job with someone else. That will make things easier for you
Child care help
When you go back to work after pregnancy, you need someone to take care of your child. If you have a family member, who can do that for you, then that is surely the best possible option for you. However, if you don’t have that option then you can always hire professional help. Hiring a trustable nanny can be a great option for you.